Discs

There's nothing like a lengthy break from the grind to get your ears back in shape. Post-punk industrial dance crew 23 Skidoo effectively retired from the music business in 84, and on this overdue return they sound like a new band.

The crew's years of trying to build a legitimate UK hiphop scene have paid off, at least for them. The dozen tracks here range from ambient jazz and funk to moody breakbeat, but it's the subtle hiphop influence that drives the project. Pharoah Sanders comes in to blow hard on one heavy track, Brixton MC Roots Manuva mixes it up on another, and there's not a spooky industrial beat to be found. Another 16-year break